Described by many as a Picasso come-to-life, de Palma broke the rules of beauty in 1988 when she starred in Pedro Almodóvar’s Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and became a model and muse for designers like Jean-Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, and Sybilla. Her status as an iconic fashion character was further cemented with her role in Robert Altman’s 1994 satirical fashion film Prêt-à-Porter. Today, she is a theater actress, charity spokesperson for the Ghanian Charity OrphanAid Africa, and the face of luxury ad campaigns. Born in Palma de Mallorca, she was originally a singer and dancer for the band Peor Imposible before being discovered by filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar at a café in Madrid in 1986. He cast her in roles based on her unique, Picassoesque appearance. She is best known for her roles in Almodóvar films like La ley del deseo (Law of Desire), Kika, Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) and La flor de mi secreto (The Flower of My Secret). She acts in France and does modeling. She appeared in Robert Altman's Prêt-à-Porter as Pilar. In 2007, she released a perfume line under her name through the French cosmetics company Etat libre d'Orange. In 2009, she posed nude in an information campaign on breast cancer for the magazine Marie Claire. She currently lives in France with her two sons. She was selected to be on the jury for the main competition section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
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Movie | El viaje de Julieta | Self | 2023-01-09 |
Movie | Carmen | Masilda | 2023-04-21 |
Series | Once Upon a Time... Happily Never After | Narradora (voz) / María / Mamen | 2022-03-11 |
Movie | Rainbow | 2022-09-18 | |
Movie | The House | Brigida | 2022-11-16 |
Movie | Parallel Mothers | Elena | 2021-10-08 |
Series | Carrément craignos | Héléna | 2021-03-18 |
Movie | El refugio | 2021-11-26 | |
Movie | A Mermaid in Paris | Rossy | 2020-03-11 |
Series | Little Birds | Contessa Mandrax | 2020-08-04 |
Movie | À cause des filles…? | Artémis | 2019-01-30 |
Movie | Despite Everything | Inés | 2019-03-16 |
Movie | My Brother Chases Dinosaurs | Auntie Rock / Zia Dolores | 2019-09-05 |
Movie | I Miss You | Rosaura | 2019-07-27 |
Movie | The Rodriguez and the Beyond | Doctora Pilar | 2019-10-31 |
Movie | Black Is Beltza | Ruth Abramson (voice) | 2018-10-05 |
Movie | Brillantissime | Charline | 2018-01-17 |
Movie | The Man Who Killed Don Quixote | 2018-05-19 | |
Movie | Jean Paul Gaultier fait son show | Self | 2018-10-13 |
Movie | Jean Paul Gaultier : Freak & Chic | Self | 2018-12-19 |
Movie | ¡Ay, Carmen! | Self - Actress | 2018-10-29 |
Series | The White Princess | Isabella I of Castile | 2017-04-16 |
Movie | Lord, Give Me Patience | María Ramos | 2017-06-16 |
Movie | Toc Toc | Ana María | 2017-09-01 |
Movie | Madame | Maria | 2017-08-17 |
Movie | The Exchange | Dómina | 2017-12-31 |
Movie | 10 Years with Bebe | self | 2016-04-29 |
Movie | Julieta | Marian | 2016-04-08 |
Movie | Almodóvar, todo sobre ellas | Self | 2016-09-11 |
Movie | En tu cabeza | Milagros (Vecina) | 2016-09-16 |
Movie | French Cinema Mon Amour | Self | 2015-07-06 |
Series | Anchored | Palmira | 2015-05-25 |
Movie | Graziella | Graziella | 2015-06-03 |
Movie | Just a Little Chemistry | Bárbara Sullivan | 2015-07-24 |
Movie | Stranded | Mercè | 2015-12-31 |
Movie | Spy Time | Madre de Katia | 2015-09-04 |
Movie | Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart | Luna (voice) | 2014-02-05 |
Movie | Untied! Reflections on Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! | Self | 2014-08-19 |
Movie | Do Not Disturb | Maria | 2014-12-31 |
Movie | Love of My Loves | Carmina | 2014-09-05 |
Movie | &Me | Edurne's Mother | 2013-03-13 |
Movie | I Don't Know Whether to Slit My Wrists or Leave Them Long | Lola | 2013-08-23 |
Movie | Three Many Weddings | Madre de Ruth | 2013-12-05 |
Movie | Run a way | La benemérita | 2012-09-01 |
Movie | Gigola | Dominique | 2010-06-06 |
Movie | Miss Tacuarembo | Patricia Peinado | 2010-07-01 |
Movie | Broken Embraces | Julieta | 2009-03-18 |
Movie | No Pasaran | Inès | 2009-07-15 |
Movie | Les Aristos | La duchesse Maria de Malaga i Benidorm | 2006-09-20 |
Movie | My Friends | La mère de Marie | 2006-06-21 |
Movie | 20 Centimeters | La Frío | 2005-06-10 |
Movie | People - Jet set 2 | Pilar | 2004-05-19 |
Movie | Double zéro | Le Monocle | 2004-06-16 |
Movie | Do you know Claudia? | Aldo's Claudia | 2004-12-15 |
Movie | Leave Your Hands on My Hips | Myriam Bardem | 2003-08-03 |
Movie | Dead Weight | Pauline Reggio | 2002-04-10 |
Movie | L'origine du monde | The Sphynx | 2001-05-09 |
Movie | The Mule | La Colombienne | 2000-01-01 |
Series | Pasapalabra | 2000-07-24 | |
Movie | The Loss of Sexual Innocence | Blind Woman | 1999-04-29 |
Movie | Nag la Bombe | Leïla | 1999-10-30 |
Movie | The Damned Rib | Margarita | 1999-12-04 |
Movie | Franchesca Page | Veronica | 1998-06-28 |
Movie | Talk of Angels | Elena | 1998-10-30 |
Movie | Foul Play | Concepcion Alibera | 1998-11-25 |
Movie | Airbag | Carmiña, mujer de Pazos en una fotografía | 1997-06-20 |
Movie | La Femme du cosmonaute | Catherine | 1997-12-17 |
Movie | The Blue Collar Worker and the Hairdresser in a Whirl of Sex and Politics | 1996-10-10 | |
Movie | Chicken Park | Necrophilia | 1996-04-05 |
Movie | A Body in the Woods | Teniente Cifuentes | 1996-11-08 |
Movie | What's It All About | Librarian | 1995-03-10 |
Movie | Peggio di così si muore | Myrna | 1995-04-21 |
Movie | The Flower of My Secret | Rosa | 1995-09-22 |
Movie | Prêt-à-Porter | Pilar | 1994-12-23 |
Movie | Mutant Action | Invitada de lujo | 1993-02-03 |
Movie | Kika | Juana | 1993-10-29 |
Movie | Rose rosse per una squillo | Juliette | 1993-10-27 |
Movie | The Naked Target | Dama 2 | 1992-01-24 |
Movie | Aquí, el que no corre... vuela | 1992-03-25 | |
Movie | Madonna: Truth or Dare | Self | 1991-05-10 |
Movie | The Family Jewels | Donatella | 1991-05-20 |
Movie | Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! | Camello en Vespa | 1990-01-22 |
Movie | Don Juan, My Dear Ghost | Viuda de Prodini | 1990-08-24 |
Movie | In The Rose Garden | Rosy | 1990-09-01 |
Movie | Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown | Marisa | 1988-03-25 |
Movie | Law of Desire | Locutora tele | 1987-02-07 |